Coco's Story
by Aria6
Summary: A really, really old story I've decided to revive because it's just so darn cute. The story of a little cleaning 'bot who is a little more than she appears. Rockman X fic.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! My name is Cocoran, but everyone calls me Coco. I'm a cleaning rep turned Maverick turned Hunter. Gee, that sounds weird doesn't it? But that's what happened. (_inane giggle)_ Well, you might think that a reploid wouldn't be happy as a cleaning bot, but gee I was. I was a _good_ cleaning bot. Scrubbing and humming all day long… although a human working there told me I sounded like a demented refrigerator, which wasn't nice, but then I was cleaning the vents near him for thirty minutes so I guess he had a right not to like it….

Where was I? Am I boring you? You look a little glazed. Oh right, I was talking about cleaning. Well, the company I was cleaning for was making a super-duper-ooper fighting reploid, and I was cleaning up the lab when the Mavericks tried to get it. Big oops. I'm kinda a klutz, so I got in the way when they shot this little dart at it. Bigger oops….

Why am I talking to you like this though? 1'st person narratives suck…. Oh shut up…. Can it! (_sounds of a small scuffle)_ That's better… but I must be boring you. Or confusing you. Or maybe you just don't like me…. (_sniff)_ A lot of people don't like me… maybe I'm annoying you now. Let's just go to third person, shall we? Here it is…

* * *

"Ah lowa lowa, woah baby, we got it goin'… yayayayayya…." The cleaning bot sang softly as she polished the mirrors. She grinned at her reflection, taking pride in the perfect shine. Her eyes were a velvety aqua, her face cute in a pert little way, but her hair was… odd. Pulled into two pony tails, she looked like she had come straight out of Sailor Moon. The little cleaning bot's eyes dimmed as she thought of all the teasing she endured… but then she perked up as she thought about her next job to do.

"Go clean the nursery, all right!" And she skipped her way out, tripping occasionally. The human and reploid employees ignored her. They all knew Coco. One human caught her as she stumbled a bit too far, and she burbled out thanks, which he smiled and accepted. Coco giggled as she reached the nursery, hearing the children's voices.

"Hee-eey!" She poked her head through the door, singing her words. "I'm baaaack!" Most of the children laughed, and some of them groaned. Like the adults, they all knew Coco.

"How's everything been?" She burbled out, kneeling down and holding out her arms to a tiny toddler, who clutched her with a big, toothless grin. "Hi Danny, you little sweetie!" She tickled him a little, smiling brightly, and the child laughed, grabbing her hair, which eeled away.

"Nuh unh!" She giggled, her hair pulling itself back into a little ball behind her head. Several other children started clamoring for her attention, while the older ones stayed as far away as possible. Coco loved them up freely and impartially. She adored human children. Cleaning the nursery just made her day…

"Oh." She sighed a little, her hair drooping. She was here to clean, not babysit. With one child getting a ride on her shoulders, she started vacuuming. She hummed happily, getting every speck of dirt.

"Cocoran!" A loud male voice sounded behind her, making her squeak and jump, almost unseating the child from her shoulders, who squalled. She pulled him into her arms, turning around guiltily to see her supervisor glaring at her.

"Aren't you finished yet?" He asked irritably. He was a middle-aged, handsome man, but Coco had trouble appreciating that in the slightest bit. He was her idea of purgatory. "You're supposed to clean up the lab! The techs need clean space!"

"Yes sir!" She chirped, looking at him with slight panic. She was the best cleaning bot in the whole company, but nothing she did was good enough for him. Not fast enough, thorough enough… he always had some complaint. She sighed unhappily, putting down the child. She would have liked to stay, but she knew he wanted her to do the lab first… it mattered, children didn't. _They never do, or someone would be at home with them!_ Coco thought, a little resentful. _If I had a child I wouldn't put them in a place like this…_

"Coco, are you _listening?_" He barked at her impatiently. She came back to herself very quickly.

"Yes sir!" She replied. He scowled harshly.

"Don't mess with the Reploid on the workbench, all right? Clean everything else. Got that?" She almost sprained her neck nodding. "Good. Now go."

"Yes sir!" And she was rushing through the halls, when she happened to stumble into a dark green and orange Reploid, with spiky red hair. He caught her, stopping her fall, and laughed at her.

"Ehh Coco, you in a hurry?" He asked good-naturedly, righting her with his large, strong hands. Coco gurgled in joy, hugging him.

"Malcolm, it's good to see you!" She giggled as the lab bot, Malcolm, flushed a little.

"Yah, good to see you too. Where you goin' in such a hurry?" He asked, patting her on the head. She giggled a little, not resenting it in the slightest.

"Oh, I gotta go clean out the lab!" She chirruped, then looked downcast. "I wanted to stay in the nursery but he wouldn't let me…" Malcolm didn't have to ask who "he" was.

"Oh, old bossy boots." He dismissed his human superior with a wave of his hand. "In business, it isn't the cream that comes to the top, is it?" He grinned at her giggle. "Nosirree." Then he patted her gently on the back. "Well, you run along, and don't mess up the project in there or bossy boots will nail you up by the pig tails." Malcolm tugged on one of them affectionately, and she rubbed her face against his arm for a moment, smiling.

"I won't!" And she tumbled on down the corridor, revitalized by that brief meeting. There was always something to keep her spirits up…

Her eyes widened as she opened the door to the lab. It was a horrible mess! The new 'bot was sprawled out, surrounded by tools everywhere… and there were other things like candy wrappers, coke cans…

_I have my work cut out for me here…_ Coco sighed to herself, pulling out her DustBuster VII vacuum. She started by throwing all the wrappers and cans into the trash and recycling, which took at least thirty minutes. _Why can't they do this themselves…? _She felt more than a little resentful that her time with the children was being pre-empted for a bunch of slobs who did have working legs… Coco sighed quietly to herself. It didn't really matter, she could always slip into the nursery later, during her break.

She finished that, and started her vacuuming. She smiled to herself, getting every bit of dust she could find. _When I'm finished, this room will sparkle!_ She boasted to herself with pride.

Cocoran nearly jumped out of her skin when the door slammed open. There was soundproofing around the lab room, so she hadn't had the slightest clue… and she squeaked in dismay as she saw the invaders. _Those aren't lab bots, are they?_ She stood still for a moment, watching wide-eyed as the strange, heavily armored 'bots rushed into the room.

"Hi!" She chirped on pure reflex. "Can I help you?" Most of the Reploids ignored her, except for a large black one, who took one look and laughed.

"Hey, a cleaning bot! This should be fun!" Coco gasped as he grabbed her by the arm, hauling her into the air… and her panicked mind suddenly recognized the patch on his shoulder. The Maverick symbol!

"Let me go, let me go!" She shrieked at him, bursting into tears. He was about to say something when she whacked him over the head with her vacuum cleaner. The Maverick let her go with a startled yelp, and Coco tried to run… tripping over her own feet instead, right in front of the new robot.

_Ow_ Coco clutched her arm, feeling… very odd. Looking down, she saw a teeny-weeny dart stuck in her… the three Mavericks were all staring at her. _Oh wow…_ She was starting to feel awfully dizzy. She stumbled back, tripping over her feet again, landing with a loud clatter on the floor…

"Let's get out of here before the Hunters arrive!" She heard one of the Mavericks say just before she entered dreamland…

* * *

Anyway, that's how I became a Maverick. Wasn't it stupid? I had to get in the way… but I'm always in the way. (_sniff)_ And then Maverick HQ… oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. But it was… I mean… oh wah! _(sniffling)_ Oh I'm sorry. I can't cry when I'm telling a story. Oh, thank you X, that's nice… (_blows nose)_ Anyway, I'll tell you the rest as soon as I get a drink of water. Be right back… 


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, I'm back! Oh look Zero, I found a kitty! Isn't he just adorable? Here, you hold him for me… no, I insist… aww…. _(big kissing sound)_ Thank you Zero! Oh! Well, back to my story! _(inane giggle)_ Where was I? Oh yeah, waking up… _(sniff)_ It was just awful…

* * *

"Ouchies." Coco came to consciousness slowly. She was shoved into a corner of the lab, far away from the lab table. Her bleary eyes raised to see dozens of technicians… all fiddling with the new robot. "Ow ow ow…" Coco groaned, putting a hand to her head, stumbling up. It hurt so bad… and nobody was helping her. Nobody! _That robot's important, but I'm not!_ Dull resentment burned… But dissolved into cheerful welcoming as she saw Malcolm.

"Malcolm!" She chirped, stumbling towards him. He ignored her almost completely.

"Not now Coco… you're sure he hasn't been tampered with?" Cocoran stared. Her hair coiled and uncoiled as strange thoughts roiled through her mind…

_He doesn't care either…_

_Why am I here? Serving humans…?_

_What am I THINKING?_

"Maaaaalcolm…." She tugged on his arm, urgent to communicate her… difficulties. He turned around with an irritated glare.

"Coco, not now! Mavericks invaded the company! Three humans are dead and four bots! I have work to do!" And he shoved her away. Tears sprang up in her eyes. She hurt, no one was listening to her, and she felt so strange…

"Coco!" A familiar, dreaded voice boomed from behind her. Coco jumped, but instead of the usual panicked subservience, resentment burned inside her. _Why should I do what he says?_ Part of her was just aching to put her hands around his neck and _squeeze_…

_What am I thinking?_ Coco shook her head, panicked and afraid again. Her human supervisor scowled down at her.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. She opened her mouth to say that he sent her here, but didn't get the chance as he grabbed her arm. "Nevermind. Come on, come on!" And he practically dragged her out of the lab. Coco gulped, cringing away from his touch, a strange revulsion going through her. She didn't want him to touch her…

"Go downstairs and start cleaning up the bloodstains." He ordered her brutally. She stared blankly, her mind a roiling mass of emotions.

"Let go of me!" She finally burst out, yanking away. "I don't have to do what you say!" From a large Reploid it might have sounded ominous. From a tiny little cleaning bot, it was childish. He stared at her.

"What's wrong with you, you stupid cleaning bot? Go do your job!" And he tried to grab her again. He wasn't expecting a punch in the face, but that's what he got. Even a small cleaning bot had a great deal more strength than a human did, and she mashed his nose across his face.

_Ohhh__…_ Coco stared in horror at the blood on her hands, then his body as he slumped. _Oh…!_ She ran away, sobbing, ignoring all the startled looks and questioning voices. She ran and ran and ran… she even barreled past a couple of Maverick Hunters, one in blue who looked familiar, but it didn't matter…

* * *

"What was that?" The blue Reploid, X, asked, stunned, looking after the pig-tailed apparition that had just pushed past him. It was disappearing rapidly into the brush. Another Hunter shrugged and answered.

"I dunno. Looks pretty weird, though. We ought to go see how that super bot of theirs is doing." X nodded, glancing curiously after the lost Reploid.

"She… hit me! Cocoran, that little _bitch!_" A middle-aged human was shouting as they entered the building. X winced at the volume, then eyed him sharply. Except for a bloody nose, he would be fine.

"Coco-what?" A rookie asked disingenuously. A distraught lab bot with spiky red hair stopped right in front of them.

"Coco-puffs, she punched bossy-boots and ran off!" He was so nervous he was yanking on his hair rapidly. "Something was wrong… I should have listened…" He babbled to himself, then suddenly seized X by the arm. "She can't be a Maverick, she can't be! Coco wouldn't hurt a fly! Please sir, bring her back safe…"

"Um, yeah." X muttered, trying to extricate himself and find someone slightly more coherent. "We won't hurt her…" _I think._ He added mentally. If he understood this correctly one of their Reploids had gone Maverick… one with a sweet disposition.

But Maverick infections usually put an end to that, no matter how kind and caring the victim.

They would just have to see…

* * *

Ohhhh, Malcolm did care! Oh, X, you never told me that before! _(soft kissing sounds, then a strangled growl)_ Oh now Zero, don't be silly, I love you too! _(more kissing sounds)_ Oh, I really…

Hunh? Oh, right, I'm supposed to be telling a story! Um… where was I?

Oh yeah! I didn't know where I was going but I just had to go… kind of like lemmings. Do you know lemmings X? I've seen lemmings! They're just so CUTE! I wanted a lemming but Dr. Cain wouldn't let me get one…

Oh, I'm boring you again, I can tell. Zero's getting that look, too. Well, anyway, I went to Maverick HQ!

Where else does a Maverick go, right?

Sigma wasn't happy to see me. _(sniff)_ Oh, he was so mad! I've never been that scared in my life… it was awful… oh, thank you Zero, that's so nice of you….

Well, I guess I should skip to getting to Maverick HQ…

* * *

"Wow, that's big!" Coco marveled at the imposing building in front of her. She'd been walking all day and all night, rather like a homing pigeon, and had finally gotten where she needed to go.

_I wonder what this place is?_ Coco hesitated nervously outside the gate… but something was urging her to keep going. Urging her rather strongly. Finally, she went up and knocked on the door, very politely.

Finally, a slot opened, showing her a rather bloodshot eye. "Yes?" The voice sounded incredibly bored. Coco blinked.

"Hi!" She chirped, her cheerfulness making the eye blink. "I'm not sure why I'm here, I've just got this thing in my head that says I ought to be, so I came! I'm Cocoran. Who are you, sir?" There was an extended pause.

"Serges. A thing in your head?" He sounded wary, as if he was dealing with a possible lunatic. Coco didn't help that initial impression, with a very brainless smile.

"Yes, sir. I'm from the Kitomir Corporation!" Coco heard a growling sound from Serges as she announced that, and suddenly felt uncertain. The door swung in, and Coco could see a small, squat Reploid in a rather silly cape… with white whiskers and red eyes. He looked very ugly.

"Come with me." He told her curtly, leading her into the building. Coco marveled at the nasty, foreboding atmosphere. _It needs some ferns…_ She immediately started planning all the ways she could make it nicer.

* * *

Yes, Zero, I did! Right away! Unh hunh! Yes, I… oh, you liked that? I thought it was kind and sweet and…

…oh. Well, I suppose it was ironic too…

Um? Yes X? Oh, the story. Right…

* * *

Reploids of all descriptions turned to look at her and point as she bounced through in blissful ignorance. She smiled at them cheerfully… one of the younger males, a very humanoid 'bot, blushed and smiled back. Most of them just stared.

Coco tugged exuberantly on Serges cape. "Where are we going Mr. Serges?" Serges shot her a look of semi-horrified amazement. He'd never had anyone tug on his cape before. But the cheery, brainless smile and cuteness factor kept him from punting her through a wall. This time.

"We're going to see Sigma." He told her shortly. Coco's forehead crinkled as she thought about that. She knew the name from somewhere, but couldn't quite recall…

"I hope he's nice!" There was choking sounds from any Mavericks near enough to hear. Coco looked around in puzzlement. "Did I say something wrong?"

Serges just sighed and pushed into another room… through some very big doors. Cocoran followed in trepidation. This place was terribly gloomy, even worse than what she'd already seen…. It was _huge_, and there was a big… chair at the end, with dark wine colored curtains and everything…

Coco was irresistibly reminded of some terrible movies she'd seen. Like the one where the evil mummy came to life and then…

She couldn't remember the rest, but it was like that. And there was a HUGE Reploid sitting in the throne… Coco stared. She felt something in the back of her mind…

"Lord Sigma!" She chirped in response to it. "I came! I'm Coco!" Sigma stared for a moment, then slowly stood up, his blue eyes narrowing. He walked down, his cape sweeping out behind him…

"What is this?" Coco stared at him, entraced, as he reached out to touch her chin, tilting her head gently.

She suddenly felt a touch in her mind. It was like the voice she had been hearing, but fuller, deeper… but the touch was brief. Sigma let her go, his face crinkling in disgust.

"Those fools. They infected a mere drudge with my super virus…" Coco shivered, backing up. She could hear and feel the cold anger in him, like the weight of a dead star… Serges could also feel it.

"Shall we destroy her, Lord Sigma?" Coco's eyes went very wide, and she started to shiver. _Destroy… me? Malcolm!_ She thought longingly of her friend… Sigma glanced at her for a moment.

"No. Another super virus infection won't matter. Send her to the cleaning crew." Coco burbled thanks for a moment, until Sigma cut her off for a wave. "And bring those bumblers to me…" One of the few good things to be said about Sigma was that he blamed the right people.

It wasn't Cocoran's fault she had been infected… and she would not be the one to suffer.

* * *

Sigma wasn't that bad to me, but boy was he scary! Isn't he scary X? Yes? Zero? No? Well…

He's lying, X? Oh no, don't fight! Please don't… ACK!

_A few minutes later_

Oh dear, that's better. I'm sure they'll be able to fix that computer in no time…

But where was I? Oh yes! Maverick HQ. _(sniffs)_ It was awful… no, it wasn't Sigma, it was the other Mavericks…

* * *

Coco pushed her little cleaning cart through the Maverick HQ corridors, humming a sweet little tune.

_Malcolm was right, everyone needs cleaning bots!_ Coco quickly pulled out her Dust Buster VI, getting rid of a coating of dust on a metal light. Then she polished it to a bright shine.

_There._ She gazed at handiwork proudly, then glanced around furtively. No one was around…

She hunkered down, reaching into her cart for something… something hidden underneath the cleaning supplies…

"Hi Mr. Snuggy Poo." She whispered softly, cuddling her teddy bear to her chest. It was a very cute bear, with golden fur and a happy face. It always made her feel better, hugging her toys, but she was always afraid that-

"Well! Look what we got here." Coco squeaked in panic and bolted to her feet. There were three Mavericks there, looking at her in amused contempt. The male who had spoken grinned with predatory cruelty…

"A little cleaning bot with a toy. How cute… I think I want to play!" And he snatched her teddy bear away…

* * *

Oh, I can't tell what happened next! I can't! (_sounds__ of weeping_) Oh, X, thank you, I… _(more weeping)_ They killed Mr. Snuggy Poo! I hated it! I…

Hunh? The day I met you, X?

Yes, that was a nice day… I'll start telling everyone about that!


	3. Chapter 3

Coco sighed as she cleaned some bloodstains off the floor. It had become such a routine that it didn't bother her anymore.

"Every time they take a bunch of human prisoners something like this happens… why do they even bother taking them here?" She didn't understand it. The humans ALWAYS died so it didn't make sense…

The Reploid prisoners made sense. They usually ended up getting infected and joining Sigma's legions. Coco quickly skipped over to the Reploid holding chamber… the captured Hunters were usually much nicer to her than the Mavericks, really. And she brought them things…

But there were no Hunters in containment today. Coco sighed. There had been a very nice girl there just yesterday, and she hadn't seen her around as a Maverick, so the infection had probably failed… she knew what happened in those cases, too.

But there was a new, extra special ooper dooper containment unit at the end of the hall… She tilted her head curiously, and skipped over.

"Oh wow!" There was a Reploid inside, curled up on his side and sleeping… he had pretty blue armor, a very cute face…

"Hi! My name's Coco!" She chirped out as he looked up.

_Pretty blue eyes! He really IS cute!_

* * *

Yes X, I thought so! Right away, too! Awww, you're blushing! _(big kissing sounds)_

Well, no Zero, I didn't… not telling you yet! You'll have to wait and see!

Now, where was I…

* * *

"Hi… I'm X…" He blinked slowly at her. "Wait… don't I know you? I saw you at the Kitomer corporation." Coco nodded, her pig tails bouncing.

"Yes, that's me! I used to work there." She smiled brainlessly. X stood up, blinking at her.

She wasn't acting like a typical Maverick at all. She was entirely too cheerful.

"Oh, you must be hungry! I'll go get you something!" She bustled off before X could say anything more, leaving him to watch after her, wide eyed.

His surprises weren't over yet. Coco came back with a huge tray, with tiny sandwiches cut into neat triangles. All the crusts had been conscientiously cut off.

"Here you are! Tuna sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and egg salad!" She slid it under a special opening in the cage. "And a big mug of coco!"

"Oh, unh… thank you. You didn't have to." X managed. He hadn't expected to be fed anything at all, before Sigma did whatever he was planning. This was entirely unexpected.

"It's a pleasure! I'll see you later, I have to clean up Mr. Doppler's lab or he'll get sooooo upset. He's a pig! Bye now!" Coco skipped out of the room, her pigtails bouncing, and X examined the tray more closely.

The coco was steaming, with a bit of whipping cream in it. The sandwiches had neat little animal pictures cut out of the tops, and little sprigs of parsley placed prettily on each.

X looked at the display of cuteness for a while.

Finally, he ate it.

* * *

Elsewhere in Maverick HQ… or rather, the backdoor of Maverick HQ…

Zero was leading his crack, commando team of Reploids to rescue X. That was the idea, anyway. There had been several setbacks, including the unsuspected methane buildup in their entryway that had left them looking… a bit worse for wear. But now they were in Maverick HQ… and utterly, hopelessly lost.

The thoughts that might, or should have been on Zero's mind could be guessed. X was in trouble, going to die, be tortured, infected… they were lost in Sigma's topological nightmare of a base…

But another set of thoughts was going through his mind.

What's with the "Welcome" mat? What's with the damn potted plants? And what's with the freakin' "Home Sweet Home" sign?

"Martha Stewart has come and conquered," he muttered as he searched around.

It was just too weird… and got that touch weirder when he ran into a little cleaning 'bot who was arranging a vase of flowers. Orchids and white spider mums, with ferns, from the look of it. Zero raised his saber to quickly end her life-

"Hello!" Zero paused as she chirruped at him. "I'm Coco. Are you new here? You shouldn't be waving around that inside, Mr. Serges gets sooooo mad when new recruits damage the fortress."

_New recruits? _Zero was thrown by that for a moment, then eyed her carefully. She was a pretty little thing, blond hair in pigtails, big blue eyes… and a supremely ditzy smile. _She really believes that?_ She seemed to. Zero hesitated, then decided to take it at face value. Their situation couldn't really get much worse.

"Yes, we're new recruits," Zero said smoothly, as the other members of his commando team shot him disbelieving looks. "So… Sigma sent us to go get a prisoner. A little guy in blue. For infection." The little cleaning 'bot seemed to droop, her pig tails falling down around her chin instead of perking up and dropping onto her shoulders. Zero watched the change, interested. He'd never seen mobile hair before.

"Oh, X? I hope the infection works, he's nice… right this way." Cocoran led the way, towing her little cart behind her. She glanced back at the new recruits. They were all looking a little dinged up… they must have been practicing, or maybe they had gotten someone mad? And the one in red was really pretty. Although…

_Is that a girl Reploid or a boy Reploid? I can't quite tell._

* * *

Sorry Zero! I really couldn't! X, don't choke… oh, he's laughing? Awww, Zero, don't sulk! It was just the hair! I'm sorry Zero!

Well, yes, I know he's a boy now… Zero, don't hit X! That's mean. Let me give you a hug!

Ooops, I think we squished the kitty, he's growling at us- aw, he scratched you! Bad kitty. Where are the band-aids? I have some with some sooper-ooper cute little bears on them! Here let me-

Oh, the story? Right, I should keep telling the story!

* * *

"Here he is!" Coco smiled brightly, as they clustered around the cage. X was staring at them, amazed, and about to say something… until Zero pressed a finger against his lips. He wasn't sure if the cleaning 'bot would be useful, but any use would abruptly end when she finally realized what was going on.

"How should we get him out of this, sir?" One of his unit asked, looking at the cage. It was rigged with dozens of alarms that would trigger if anyone tapped in a wrong code or fiddled with it in any way.

"Don't you have the codes?" The little cleaning 'bot asked, tilting her head to one side as she looked cutely confused. The members of his unit exchanged glances, and one quietly ignited his beam saber… but Zero gave her a winning smile. She'd been gullible enough to swallow their story so far, why not a bit more?

"Sigma was pissed off when he sent us down," Zero said smoothly. "He didn't mention any codes. Do you know who would have them?" Coco perked up at that.

"I have them, I have them!" Coco bounced up and down, excited and pleased that she could be helpful. "I know all the codes everywhere! I see people type them in all the time!" Before anyone could stop her, she stepped up to the cage and started confidently inputting all the codes.

"Huh… photographic memory?" One of the Hunters said, sotto voice. Zero frowned. That was a fairly rare ability… it required some pretty powerful processors and memory retrieval, to be able to swipe codes just by looking. What would a cleaner be doing with that kind of processor?

But she really did know the codes, and a moment later the last defense went down and the cage opened. X stepped out with a clear expression of relief.

"Zero! I'm so glad to see you." X was tremendously relieved. He wasn't sure what Sigma had been intending to do to him, but he was sure it was nothing he wanted to experience. Coco's eyes widened, though, as she heard the name.

"Zero?" She said, then suddenly paled. "Ahhh…! You're not Mavericks at all! You're Hunters- LEGGO!" One of the Hunters had gripped her arm, and she shrieked, trying to brain him with her vacuum. The handle shattered from the force of the blow, leaving Coco holding a jagged shard He swore and activated a beam saber-

And jerked away with more haste than skill as Coco tried to put his eyes out with that broken handle. Her face was utterly blank as she attacked with the improved weapon… until Zero, moving silently, punched her sharply in the back of the head. The cleaning 'bot collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

"How did she do that?" One of the other Hunters said, bewildered. One moment she'd been an ineffective little cleaning bot… the next, she had acted like a trained fighter, attacking as best she could with no weapon. Zero hesitated, then picked the small Maverick up, slinging her over one shoulder.

"We'll take her back to HQ," he decided. The other Hunters looked dubious… Mavericks were usually completely beyond recovery. On the other hand, the little cleaner didn't act much like the usual Maverick.

"Right," X agreed, peering at the unconscious girl curiously. Zero led the way out, as they made their escape from Maverick HQ…


End file.
